by D Wolfe
The Armored Wolf
D. Wolfe
This book is dedicated to all of my friends and family who believed in me as I wrote
Prologue
There is a legend about humans that can turn into werewolves. They can only change when the moon is full and shining and they have to be bitten first. Silver bullets are their nightmares and greatest foes. No human could ever kill a werewolf otherwise. But there is another legend. One that isn’t as well known. There is a special kind of wolf-human hybrid. They can turn into wolves whenever they want. Their clothes would turn into armor during the change. These armored wolves, as they are called, are protectors of humans. They were all over the world and rarely gathered together in one place.
The armored wolves never revealed themselves to the humans unless a human is in immediate danger. They then save them and vanish before the human could see what it clearly was. But over time, the ruling powers of the world began to fear them and tried to wipe them out. The armored wolves were slaughtered by the hundreds. The survivors hid and kept their human appearances. They now only change when they needed to. To this day, they have stayed in hiding.
Chapter One
Ellie was standing outside her home looking at it. In front of it was a for sale sign. She then looked towards the road. There was a moving truck. Her family was going to be moving away to a new place. Ellie was a thirteen year old girl. Her hair was chocolate brown and went down to her waist. Her eyes were the same color. She was petite and thin. She lived with her mom and stepdad. Her skin was tan. She rarely talked and was loved by everyone who met her despite her being so quiet. Or at least nearly everyone.
Her stepdad was the only one who didn’t love her. Then again, her stepdad didn't really love anyone and it was because of him that she didn't really talk. Ellie’s stepdad was a big jerk. He was large and fat. He had no hair on top of his head. He smelled terrible and could hardly keep a job. He would use the money he got from work for beer. If he had no money, he forced either Ellie or Ellie’s mother to give it to him. Most of the time, he forced Ellie to give him the money.
Her mom was a nice woman. She had black hair and green eyes. She was a bit taller than Ellie. She always had a worn out look in her eyes. Probably from dealing with Ellie’s stepdad. He was very hard to deal with.
Ellie’s mother, Mrs. Summer, went up to her. “Are you ready to go?” Mrs. Summer asked her daughter.
Ellie looked at her. She was ready even though she didn't want to move. Her whole life had been here. “Do we have to move?” She asked. She wasn’t happy about it. They were only moving because her stepdad decided it was time to move. He didn’t have a real reason but Ellie had a feeling she knew why. No doubt he had been fired from the last place that had been willing to hire him.
Mrs. Summer smiled at her daughter. Ellie could tell though that it was a little forced for her sake. “Don’t worry. Things will get better.” Mrs. Summer answered her daughter.
Mr. Summer then came out. His face was usually bright red. It was usually like that when he drank or when he was exhausted from working. Not that he ever did that much. Most of the time, he forced Ellie or her mother to do it. “Are we ready now? I want to get going before the day is over.” Mr. Summer said. It was quite clear that he was annoyed.
Ellie rolled her eyes. Mr. Summer always sounded like that. Not to mention, it was eight in the morning. Not that Mr. Summer ever paid attention to what time it was. That was probably why he could hardly keep a job.
Mrs. Summer looked at her step husband and nodded. “I believe so.” She answered.
“I believe so.” Mr. Summer said mockingly. “Then let’s go!” He shouted the last bit.
Mrs. Summer sighed and went towards the car. Ellie couldn’t believe that her mom had married a creep like Jared Summer.
Ellie's real dad had left when she was born. Ellie had never met her dad before. Her mom said that he was the most amazing guy she had ever met. She said that he had a calm but powerful voice. Everyone who heard it could listen to him forever. But he had left a few days before Ellie had been born. No explanation as to why though. He had just packed up and left. Ellie’s mother had no picture of him. No matter how hard Ellie had searched, there wasn’t a single picture or sign that she had a father. Only her mom’s memories of him showed that she did have a dad before Jared had showed up. That and the fact that she was there.
Ellie had learned the hard way not to ask Jared if he had ever known her dad. Jared had gotten so angry at her for asking that and he actually had beaten her as a punishment. He had broken her leg and her left arm. He then threatened that if she ever told anyone who did it, he would hurt her even worst. So Ellie had to lie and lay the blame on a street gang. Jared had seemed pretty smug about that. Her mother had to pay the medical bill because Jared had refused to pay one cent of it.
Ellie wished above all else that her real dad would come to them, kick Jared out, marry her mother and that they would live together forever as a happy family.
A sudden slap across her face sent Ellie sprawling to the ground. She looked up to see Jared standing over her. “Didn’t you hear me you little brat? It’s time to go!” He shouted. He then went to the driver’s seat of the moving truck and he drove off without saying anything.
Ellie got into the shotgun seat of her mom’s car. Mrs. Summer reached up and touched the slap mark that was on Ellie’s cheek. “Don’t worry. Things will work out for the better soon.” She whispered.
Ellie looked at her mom. “When?” She whispered softly, trying not to cry. Jared had been like that for as long as she could remember and despite her mother always telling her that things would work out for the better, they never did.
Mrs. Summer smiled a little. “Soon. I don’t know when but soon.” She answered. They then drove away.
Ellie looked out her car window as they drove. She really hoped that things would work out better once they got to their new home.
Chapter Two
That evening, the Summers pulled up to their new home. It was a cozy looking house in the town of Dalton Ohio. It was a two story house. It was blue on the outside. It had a garage right next to it. The house was on the outskirts of the town.
Mrs. Summer and Ellie got out of the car and looked at it. “Doesn’t it look nice?” Mrs. Summer asked her daughter.
Ellie looked at the house. It did seem nice. “Until Jared comes here. Then it’ll look horrible.” She answered. She wasn't just referring to the way the house looked. She also meant how Jared would make it a place that she would be scared to go home to.
Mrs. Summer shook her head. She knew that it was hard for Ellie and what all Ellie had meant when she had said that. “Don’t worry.” She said. “He won’t ruin it entirely.” They then went into the house. “You can choose any of the rooms upstairs as your own.” Mrs. Summer told Ellie. “Jared will be here later today with all of our stuff. Until then, you can get your room ready.” She added.
Ellie went upstairs. She looked in the first room on the left. It was a strange room. It was probably why she looked at that room first. The walls were blue. On them were wolves. They were strange wolves at that. They each had a human on them. Ellie looked closer at them. The wolves seemed to be in armor. Ellie looked at the humans. They were from every time period in history. They were dressed as knights, soldiers, wealth and poor people. There were people from the Great Depression and myths. She wondered why they were like that and why the wolves were in armor.
She went to the window and looked outside. The neighborhood seemed nice. She saw four other kids out on their bikes riding by. Three really little kids were playing hopscotch. No doubt before the end of the week Jared would make it so that none of the kids would want to play outside on th
e street.
Ellie then saw her mom at the car. Her mom was looking around. Ellie looked towards the north. There was a large forest. She thought it would be nice to go see it one day. It would be an interesting exploration. She saw something running into the forest. Or at least she thought she did. It was hard to tell. It had moved so fast.
Ellie saw something from the corner of her eyes. She spun around. There was no one. She looked at the wolves on the wall. There seemed to be one missing. The human was there but the wolf was gone. Ellie shook her head. She didn’t believe in superstitions. She decided that whoever had made the designs forgot to add the wolf. There were over thousands of wolves in the room. It was an easy mistake to make. Whoever lived here first obviously loved wolves. She wondered who it was.
That evening, Jared pulled up. He got out and looked at the house. “Martha! Ellie! Get out here now!” He shouted. Ellie and Mrs. Summer came out to the truck. “I drove this junk here. You can unload it.” He told them. He then went into the house, slamming the door behind him in the process.
Ellie and Mrs. Summer opened the back of the truck. Ellie sighed when she saw all of the stuff. “Let’s get to work.” Mrs. Summer told Ellie. Before they could do anything though, they heard a car pulling up. They turned to see a silver jeep.
Two teenage boys and two teenage girls came out. One of the boys was really tall. He had black hair and very tan skin. His eyes were amber. The other boy was a bit shorter. He had wavy brown hair and green eyes. He was also tan. One of the girls had blond hair and blue eyes. The other girl had black hair and golden eyes. Both of them were tanned like the boys. They went up to Mrs. Summer. “Do you need help?” The tall boy asked.
Mrs. Summer looked at the four teenagers. “Who are you?” She asked. Ellie was wondering the same thing. Who would just go up to random strangers and offer to help them with their stuff?
The blond stepped forward. “Excuse my brother ma’am.” She said. Ellie was surprised by that. They were siblings? The four didn’t look anything alike. “This is Derek. My name is Danielle. The other boy is David and the girl is Diane.” The girl continued. Ellie wondered if their parents had used names that started with the letter “D” on purpose or not.
Mrs. Summer smiled. “I’m Martha. This is my daughter Ellie.” She said, gesturing to her daughter for the last bit. Ellie nodded to the four. Mrs. Summer looked at her daughter for a bit and, realizing that Ellie wasn’t probably going to say anything to the four, turned back to them. “If you want to help, feel free to.” She answered. The four teenagers smiled and joined them in moving the boxes into the house.
Ellie looked at the four teenagers as they helped her mother and her. They seemed nice. She wondered if this was normal for the four teenagers or not. They had just gone up to her and her mother and the one boy had offered to help without knowing who they were.
Ellie looked in the direction of her stepdad. Mr. Summer didn't seem to be paying attention to the four teenagers in the house. Either he was drunk, asleep or just didn't care.
Later that night, Ellie was at her bedroom window looking out towards the forest. The four teens that had helped her and her mother had left a few hours before. Ellie wished that she had gone with them but she knew that Jared would have forbidden it. He never allowed her to go out with friends anywhere.
There was a knock at her door. Ellie turned to see her mother there. "Are you ready for your new school?" Mrs. Summer asked Ellie.
Ellie wasn't sure if she was or not. She wouldn't be able to bring any new friends she made home to hang out with. She wouldn't be able to participate in school activities. Jared wouldn't allow her to because after school activities cost money and Jared would refuse to let Ellie or Mrs. Summer pay for it. But she knew her mother was asking just to try to make the place seem more like home.
"I'm not sure but I'm going to give it a try." Ellie told her mother. She had to give the school a chance at least. For her mother's sake.
Mrs. Summer smiled. "Good night Sweetie." She told Ellie before she left Ellie's room.
Ellie seriously doubted that she would have a good night. Not with Jared downstairs being loud and yelling about everything. She went to her bed and laid down, pulling the blanket over her. She closed her eyes and even though it took her a little while, she managed to fall asleep.
Chapter Three
The next day, Mrs. Summer drove Ellie to the middle school. When they pulled up, Ellie looked outside the window. There were kids looking towards her as they walked into the school building. It was quite clear that news of the new girl had traveled around. All the cars there were normal looking for a small town.
A red Ferrari then pulled up. The back doors and the shotgun door opened and three kids came out. Two were boys and the other was a girl. They all had black hair. The girl’s hair was long. They looked like triplets. They took one look at Ellie before going in. The red Ferrari then drove away.
Ellie got out of the car. “Remember, go to the principal’s office to get your schedule” Her mom said.
Ellie nodded. “Yes Mom.” She said. She then walked into the school. Ellie tried not to look at the other kids who were all looking at her. She wished that she had arrived earlier so she could have avoided all of the looks she was getting. She sighed with relief when she saw the office door. A chance to escape the staring. She went into the office.
The office attendant smiled when she saw Ellie. “You’re Ellie Summer, right?” She asked.
Ellie smiled. She had a feeling that the office attendant already knew the answer and was just being polite. “Yes Ma’am.” She answered.
The office attendant took out a schedule and gave it to Ellie. “There’s a list of your classes, where you’ll have them and what time they’re at. Come to me if you have any questions.” She told Ellie. Ellie smiled and nodded before she left. She hoped that she wouldn’t need help. She didn’t want to go from being the new girl to the lost girl. That would be embarrassing.
Later that day during lunch, Ellie was surrounded by several of her new friends. She looked at each one. There was Lisa, Jessie, April, Kayla, Jason, Leo and Logan. They were all very nice and very talkative. They had all welcomed her in each of her classes that she had had so far. Ellie looked around as her friends talked. She then saw three triplets come in and go to a table.
“Who are they?” Ellie asked. There was something about them that made her wonder about them. The entire table looked at her and stopped talking. Ellie had a feeling that she asked a stupid question.
Kayla looked at the triplets before she looked back at Ellie. “They’re the youngest members of the Wolfe Family. The girl is Darine. She doesn’t exactly walk. She dances mostly.” She told Ellie.
Ellie looked at the two boys. One down, two to go. “What about them?” She asked.
Leo smiled. “They’re Dale and Doug. All three of them are triplets.” He answered.
April nodded in agreement. “They’re Mr. Wolfe and Officer Wolfe’s children. They have eight all together.” She added.
Jason shook his head. “No one hangs out with them because they’re weird.” He added to what April had said.
Ellie looked at him. “Weird?” She asked. “Good or bad weird?” She had to know in case she ended up being in the weird group with the Wolfe kids. Not that the three seemed to have anyone else in their group.
Leo then cut in. “Good weird. Their dad is a camp director and they all live at that camp year round.” He explained. "They keep to themselves at times but when they do talk to you, it'll be weird. They'll act like they've known and hung out with you for a long time."
“Are any of them actually related?” Ellie asked. “I mean besides the triplets.” With eight kids in one family, there was no way they were all related by blood. There had to be a few who were adopted but the triplets were clearly related. They had to be. They looked exactly alike.
The group laughed. “Dale, Douglas and Darine were adopted with Diane and Danielle
.” Lisa answered. “The others were adopted from different groups and foster homes.”
Logan looked at the triplets. “Their older brother though is creepy.” He added to Lisa's answer. "If anyone deserves to be in the bad weird, it's him."
Ellie looked at him. The way Logan had said it made her really curious about the older brother. “Who is he?” She asked. What made this brother so different from his siblings that he would be considered a bad weird?
The group looked at her. Ellie noticed it got quiet real quickly. “Their older brother is named Darian.” April explained. “He’s one of the older children. Or at least we think he is. No one really sees him except for at school which is rare. He’s very quiet and keeps to himself.”
Leo then elbowed April in the side. “Of course despite the creepiness or mysteriousness around him, he still has a few fan girls including April here.” He added. "Some girls just like the dark and mysteriousness boys like Darian."
The way that April blushed made Ellie believe Leo. That and she had seen that type of stuff back at her old school. Certain boys who always seemed to keep to themselves getting attention from girls. “So why doesn’t anyone see Darian outside of school?” Ellie asked.
“Because the rest of the time, he’s at the camp.” Jessie answered. “Camp Wolfwoods where his family lives."
Ellie shook her head. “Sounds like that family is obsessed with wolves.” She said. Their last name and the camp both had wolf in the name. Who knew what other wolf things they had. That made the rest of the table laugh.
Jessie smiled. “You’ll have a chance to see what we’re talking about next week.” She told Ellie.
Ellie looked at her. “I will?” She asked, surprised by that. Why would she get to be able to see what they were talking about? She must have missed something or the teachers forgot to tell her something that morning.
The others nodded. “The eighth graders are going to the camp for an entire week.” Kayla explained. "You'll be able to see what Darian and his family are like during that week."